Jared Cohen

Biography

Jared Cohen is at the center of technology and how it is changing the world. As the founder and director of Google Ideas at Google and now the CEO of Jigsaw (its successor arm within Alphabet Inc.), he is at the forefront of using technology to tackle some of the toughest global challenges. As a former advisor to two secretaries of state and having visited more than 100 countries (including North Korea and Iran), Cohen is able to look around the corner and shed light on both the next big technological innovation and how it impacts our world, our businesses, and our lives. Whether he’s interviewing former extremists or meeting with the Pope in Rome, Cohen brings his expertise to bear on some of the most challenging problems of our time. Read More >

Technology is reshaping nearly every aspect of our lives, especially business, communication, entertainment, and politics. There’s never been a more important time to understand how technology is transforming your industry or organization, and there are few people better qualified to illuminate what the future holds than Cohen. His New York Times bestselling book The New Digital Age, co-authored with Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt, gazes into a world where everything is digital and offers predictions about what our future holds. Named one of TIME Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People,” Cohen has spent his entire career using technology to solve seemingly intractable problems. After studying at Stanford and Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, Cohen became the youngest person to serve in the State Department’s Policy Planning Staff, the elite group of thinkers that advise the Secretary of State on pressing global issues. In 2010 he was recruited by Google’s then-CEO Eric Schmidt, whom Cohen currently advises, to create Google Ideas, Google’s influential think tank that expanded to become the technology incubator known now as Jigsaw and housed in Google’s parent company.

Cohen’s keynotes are electrifying, inspiring, and relevant. Every business and industry would benefit from better understanding the technology that’s transforming our world—for better or for worse—and no one tells that story with more insight, humor, and poise than Cohen. He draws on his extensive travel with dazzling first-hand accounts and simplifies some of the most important trends in technology to reveal how these difficult issues matter for your organization. Cohen’s anecdotes are famous and will leave your audience shocked by their newfound understanding of the technology they use and the world they inhabit. His insights are relevant for all audiences and industries, and the topics at hand have never been more important. As the world becomes increasingly more complex, Cohen offers an illuminating and entertaining glimpse into our future. Read Less ^

Speaker Videos

The Cyberpowers: Disinformation, Political Hacking & New World Disorder

Speech Topics

The Cyberpowers: Disinformation, Political Hacking & the New World Disorder

According to Jared Cohen, all future wars will begin as cyberwars, unfolding silently, invisibly and relatively inexpensively. In this New World Disorder, data is the digital equivalent of oil. How states and corporations make use of it will determine their power and influence. How can you stay safe in this digital warzone? Cohen uncovers the threats that are keeping world leaders up at night, providing invaluable information about keeping your business, organization and family safe. Read More >

Big data and even bigger data is being weaponized by states as the new go-to method of influence

Governments are deploying digital armies of trolls to influence elections and hack the conversation

The ubiquity of data and technology has reignited a Cold War that features the digital equivalent of proxy wars, espionage, election tampering, and targeted assassinations

The absence of rules in cyberspace has created a new anarchy that is being exploited by a new group of players

Businesses need to navigate the threats and challenges that come from a perpetual state of cyberwarfare.

Transformation: How to Think About Your Business in the New Digital Age

If you’re not innovating, you’re falling behind. Competitive businesses need to harness the latest technological tools and understand how technology is changing so many aspects of our lives, from communication to commerce to entertainment. Cohen helps to break through the noise and focus on how the world is changing and how your business can make the most of today’s technology to stay relevant and cutting-edge.

Larger Than Ourselves: The Impact of Cyber on our Businesses & Our Lives

Is your business prepared to confront the challenges and opportunities in a connected world? The growth of technology is reshaping our lives in ways we don’t even realize—how we do business, how we interact with each other, and how we access information will be transformed by technology. Drawing on his experience bringing innovation to the American diplomacy and founding an award-winning technology incubator, Cohen offers a glimpse into tomorrow’s major technology trends and what they mean for you and your business.

Beyond 2016: How Technology is Disrupting Politics as We Know It!

From Brexit to the U.S. presidential election, it seems that each campaign and subsequent vote is increasingly difficult to understand. This year it’s critical to cut through the punditry and the polls to examine what issues are really at stake, and how this election matters for our future. Cohen examines the 2016 race and beyond through the lens of technology—the issues that matter most and how technology is changing the way campaigns will be run in the future. The stakes have never been higher.

Disruptive Leadership: How to Lead at Innovation’s Cutting Edge

Leadership in the 21st century means harnessing technology to work smarter and build successful organizations. From growing a business to scaling products to managing high-functioning teams, Cohen shares insights from inside one of the world’s most competitive and successful companies. He is a disrupter, having found ways to innovate both at high levels of government and the tech sector.

Game Changers: Technology & the Next Big Disruptions

Businesses can’t afford to be complacent in the face of rapid technological innovation. Some of the most disruptive and world-changing innovations were invented in someone’s garage, while the world remained unaware of the next big thing. Having spent the past five years developing cutting-edge technologies for Google, Cohen explores what emerging technologies are poised to change the ways we live and work, and what they mean for your business.

The New World Disorder: Change & Chaos in the New Digital Age

Terrorism. Economic disruption. Rising geopolitical tensions. As billions of people come online, the world is as dynamic and chaotic as ever. But within this tremendous disorder lies opportunity—if you know where to look. Cohen helps to make sense of our rapidly changing world in the new digital age, covering everything from global politics to economics to security.

From Pyongyang to ISIS: The Greatest Threats Facing our World

Having traveled to nearly 100 countries—including some of the toughest war zones and repressive societies in the world—Cohen draws on his experience to take you inside the most challenging environments, from North Korea to Iran and beyond. From his meetings with the leadership of North Korea to his interviews with ISIS defectors, Cohen’s travels have given him a unique perspective on the threats facing the world and what can be done about them.

Testimonials

"Jared is a player at the top of his game. He was animated in his presentation to an audience of community and college people of over 2,500, and spoke entirely without notes. He is gracious but intense in his personal interactions and especially encouraging in his remarks to students, whom he urged to follow their dreams and not be burdened by finding a career upon graduation. What a thrill to observe him now give so much to society."

- Augustana College

"Jared was fantastic. The women were really engaged, lots of questions and reaction. We really appreciated Jared’s time, especially staying to host the smaller group sessions. Thank you for all of your help and I enjoyed working with your team!"

- Bank of America

"Jared did a phenomenal job. Engaging. Substantive. Audience members were blown away by his storytelling and his ability to move at such a fast pace while not seeming rushed. He left the audience wanting more, and he tied up several important threads of conversation that we’d had during the week. Very pleased."